Price increases start this weekend for transport, beer

Flemish public transport authority De Lijn stops a number of free tariffs; only those for children under five, war veterans and the handicapped remain. Seniors have until 1 September, after which they will pay €50 a year.

For other travellers, the zone tariff, considered outdated and complicated to understand, disappears, to be replaced by a one-hour tariff costing €3. A Lijnkaart for 10 trips goes up from €10 to €14. The SMS ticket goes up from €1.55 to €1.95.

Regarding train travel, meanwhile, passengers who board a train without a ticket will now pay a surcharge of €7 on top of the fare for the journey. The only exception concerns those stations where no tickets are on sale – only 17 across the country, according to the NMBS.

“The new automatic ticket machines are in place in 96% of the stations,” said spokesperson Bart Crols. “The functioning of the machines will be permanently monitored by an incident management system. If a machine is out of order, the supplement will not be charged.”

In Brussels, the cost of a 10-journey ticket for travellers to the airport increases by €4 to €32, while a single trip goes up to €4.50. A new monthly pass is now available for €60.

Elsewhere, brewers AB InBev and Alken Maes, the two largest in the country, are increasing prices for their products in bars as well as supermarkets and other retail outlets.

Family organisation Kind & Gezin will maintain its client dossiers only in digital form from now on rather than maintaining a paper version.

Photo courtesy Visit Gent